Well, it looks as though Artsmagic's releases of Full Metal Yakuza and Sabu are just the tip of the iceberg as far as their relationship with Takashi Miike ... coming August 31 from Artsmagic is Miike's Black Society Trilogy - Rainy Dog, Ley Lines, Shinjuku Triad Society - available both in a collectors box and individually and though they've not yet set a firm release date they have confirmed that they will be releasing Miike's Bird People Of China before the end of the year.

While I've not seen any of the Black Society films - this trilogy of yakuza films is highly praised in critical circles - I do have to say that Bird People is pretty easily my favorite Miike film. Those who only know the man from his more extreme offerings like Audition and Ichi the Killer will be fairly surprised by the change of pace here as Bird People is essentially a modern fairy tale but those who give it a chance will find an awful lot to like. The film tells the story of a young salary man and a low level yakuza who are sent into remote back country China to scout out a potential diamond mine and come across an isolated village that believes they have a manual that explains a method for humans to fly, and a village girl has set the children to making wings from bamboo and rice paper for flying lessons. The film is crammed with stunning visuals - Miike collaborates here with Takeshi Kitano's longtime cinematographer - great performances and an incredible script looking at the value of wonder, innocence and purity in the modern world. Not at all what most would expect from a Miike film, but it's stunning stuff and I'm more than a little pleased that it's getting a proper release. I'll post the release date and specs as they're announced.

And is this a good time to remind people that there are less than two weeks left to enter our Miike DVD giveaway contest? Yes? Click here for details.